đŸ”— Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, guitarist of the soul group Booker T & the MGs, dies aged 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the house band of the seminal Memphis label Stax Records. The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The guitar virtuoso, who performed on and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in Nashville. Considered among the best supporting groups in soul music, the quartet Booker T & the MGs was the resident studio band of the groundbreaking Memphis label Stax and is most famous for their classic 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the comedy music group The Blues Brothers in the 1970s and featured on their successful version of Soul Man. "Steve was a cherished musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent inspired millions of lives around the world," his family stated in a statement. "While we grieve the loss of a family man and friend, we are consoled knowing that Steve will endure through his music," they continued. A reason for his passing was not immediately known. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new songs. "He's such a good human," Gore remarked. "We were lucky to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with artists Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. A Prolific Career Ranked the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were founded, comprising keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always considered myself to be a rhythm guitarist," Cropper said in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something repeatedly, while other guitar players wouldn't consider it. They are reluctant to repeat the same riff twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a prolific songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of nearly all record released by Stax from late 1961 through 1970". "We would literally spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had nearly 20 artists signed to the label, so we had a very hectic schedule."